Awaken
by SpacemanSpiff
Summary: How do you escape a nightmare when it follows you, devouring your dreams? What if that nightmare was your life? An Original Fantasy about a world on the brink of a war that could end in Armageddon. Would it be worth it if the nightmares died with it?
1. Prologue

A/N: Alrighty then, I finally got my idea started here. This is my original fiction yet its very loosely based on Final Fantasy. As I've played such numbers in the series as IV,VI,VII,VIII, and X you might find little things or ideas that they have helped me with and I'm still debating about whether or not to go with the game idea and have all the regular things like the usual summons and chocobos, things like that. But I havn't used them yet so I don't have to put up a disclaimer =D. But anyways, if you've been reading my Novel on FFIV then this is what I've been using it as practice for. I'm still going to keep up with the Novel because I just love FFIV too much to let it go so you can still expect more of that coming. But I feel confident enough now to release my own work so here it is.  
  
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*** AWAKEN ***  
  
  
  
  
  
by Spaceman Spiff  
  
- Introduction -  
  
________________  
  
The worlds of Final Fantasy   
  
have been taken to the   
  
extremes of the imagination,   
  
so far that we can't even  
  
dream of such things.   
  
Every time you look into one   
  
of these fascinating stories  
  
you find yourself lost   
  
in a world where anything can   
  
happen, and dreams do come true.   
  
This story is no different as   
  
it will take you to places you   
  
have never seen or heard of.   
  
You will find things familiar   
  
as well as those not so familiar   
  
living together in harmony in the   
  
very mind you hold so dear to you.   
  
Don't be afraid to go on as the   
  
story takes its ups and downs,   
  
unraveling to the very end   
  
where it all comes together   
  
and you return to your world,   
  
finding it just as you had left it.   
  
Prepare for the journey,  
  
for this is how it begins...   
  
  
  
* * *  
  
-+- Prologue -+-  
  
The darkness. The darkness was feeding on him, feasting on his ever abundant fear. There was no escape for his lost soul as he crawled with every ounce of strength from the looming black hole that threatened to swallow him. He felt so weak as he could barely lift his ghostly white arms to reach for his next tug to some hopeful safe haven ahead. And yet, no matter how far he crawled, no matter how strong he thought he was, he was consumed by this overpowering sensation to concede and accept the evil that was extending over his body, dripping its iniquitous venom that tore his skin wide open. In this way his inner consciousness was sprawled at its feet, and the devil himself could not have been any worse than such torture as this. As the overwhelming darkness began to take him under, his eyes screamed for a sign of salvation that would never come and his shrill cries only served to be swallowed by the endless gullet surrounding him. When the darkness quickly closed over his soul, his eyes shot open and he found his worn hands clawing at the stone walls beside his bed. The tension slowly crept out of his crooked fingers as they fell back down to his chest, clutching his heart as if to make sure it was still there, assured of it as it beat through his ribs wildly. Yet he still felt beaten, torn inside as though the nightmare had taken a piece of his soul with it.   
  
All he wanted was for the nightmares to stop, to put an end to the unrelenting torment. It was the same torture he went through the night before, and every night before that...for five long years. He would never understand the justification for such hell as he was going through and yet he knew if he could only hold on to whatever he had left, that he would find its purpose. But life was giving him little to hold on to, as the swift flash of distant lightning poured through the bars of his small jail cell. Even though the gloom that gratefully invaded the room was depressing to his eyes, it was almost heaven after what he had just woken up from. He felt the cool splash of rain on his cheek as the stray drops fell through the window, his skin indebted to its gratitude. It was one of the only pleasures he could find anymore. Being a prisoner had never seemed to offer much for his happiness which in itself was almost too far away to even bother looking for.   
  
His eyes closed gently as his hand trudged over his weathered face, wiping the sorrowed mix of rain and tears to the cold stone. As he lifted himself from the slab of outcropped metal that he found so many restless nights on, he found his gaze lost in the grey clouds swirling outside the prison bars that reminded him just where he was, yet was so oblivious to his only question.  
  
"...Why?" his tattered voice wandered from his mouth, so weak that it was broken before it even crossed the room. Yet no thoughts strayed from this ultimate question, the question that plagued his conscience day-in and day-out. He wanted to scream at the storm outside, tear it down with his bare hands as if it would help. It replied to his thought as a brilliant bolt of lightning streaked across the dawning sky. He couldn't even feel the pain in his hand as his nails dug deeper into his palms, the trickle of blood falling to his bedside.  
  
"It's still stormin' out there, eh Mak?" the low voice charged through the darkness devouring the other side of the room, pulling his eyes away from the night. His cell mate, and his best friend even before they had found themselves in this hell, poked his head through the black curtain as his pale face reflected what little light peered through their window. Mak tried to wear a smile for his friend, but he couldn't find the strength to even so much as think of a happy thought.  
  
"Like it's going to stop now?" Mak spat off to the head hanging in the darkness before him. His tone was almost mocking as he spoke, "It's been like this for over a year now, Danik, every day and every night, and ever since it started there hasn't been a single sign that it will end."  
  
"I think she's trying to tell us something." his friend spoke as he found himself glancing out into the dull world as well. Mak couldn't help but look quizzically at his friend sitting across from him, the outline of his body beginning to draw itself against the wall as the light crawled in.   
  
"Who?"  
  
"Mother Earth," he answered, not taking his eyes from the window for a moment as his friend's face begged for further explanation. Danik was one for legends and lore, never taking anything for granted, especially the very Earth he was living on, "She's letting us know that things are not right in the world. She knows what's happening here."  
  
"Nonsense," Mak shot back at him. He had never taken things he said too seriously, and the days in the cell never helped him along either, "I don't want to hear that bunk anymore."  
  
"You still don't believe the legends, do you Mak?"  
  
"They're not legends, they're myths," Mak replied sternly, throwing his agnostic mentality in Danik's face, "Stories told to little kids to keep them from straying down the wrong path in life, nothing more."  
  
"How can you say that about the very tenet of our people?" Danik had found himself almost staring his friend down after hearing such a thing, but the glistening streams of tears falling down Mak's face softened him immediately.  
  
"If it were true we wouldn't be here!" Mak shouted clear across the room, his fist slamming hard on the metal beneath him. His tears were falling effortlessly as he nearly broke down completely, his mind in shreds pouring out of his eyes. Danik watched as he tried to pull himself together, scrubbing his face with both of his filthy hands, "I'm sorry, Danik," he managed through the thin wall of flesh he held over his mouth. To Danik's surprise he was smiling as his hands fell softly from his face, his eyes still glistening wet as they gazed into the storm, "I know you still believe, but I've long lost that faith. I only have one hope left and I can only think about him anymore."  
  
"Your son," Danik read his friend like a wide open book, the pages stuck on one chapter as the others flew out the window. Mak's face brightened a little as the sun delivered a welcoming light into their cell. It was the only time of day when everything seemed sound and natural, as the sun peeked over the horizon just before it crawled up into the dark clouds that infested the skies; a moment of halcyon every morning that they never missed, for it was what gave them the strength to go on. Mak gladly accepted the warm rays on his chilled face, the tingling sensation running up and down his spine. He stared endlessly into the horizon as though he was floating out the window in spirit, and at times he felt he was. His son was the one thing he had left to hold on to that kept him from the darkness in his dreams.  
  
"I can be happy as long as I know he's safe," Mak spoke to the sun as it leapt clear of the horizon and hung gallantly below the dark blanket that lay over them. Danik turned his woeful eyes towards the beautiful scene that lay just out of their reach, the land that they had once lived on now so far away. They both watched as the sun lifted up into the clouds, the last sliver of its golden radiance vanishing within the shroud of the storm. The rain continued to pour down on their fragmented souls and the lightning continued to chip at their spirits as they waited for the next morning to come. 


	2. 1:1 Antebellum

A/N: Alright, this is the fanfic formerly known as "The Final Fantasy". Yup, the name changed. I warned ya. I know this update took FOOOR-EEVV-ERRR, but this is one of those stories I've started where I know what to say in the prologue and how it's supposed to go from about the middle of the story on, I just have to put all this stuff in the beginning which I'm coming up with as I write, slowly but surely. It will take a while before I get to the point of regular updates, but I will hopefully get there soon. I hope you enjoy the first chapter of the first part(there will either be two or three parts to this story) of my original fantasy.  
  
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***** Part I:   
  
**** Nightmare Beginning   
  
***  
  
**  
  
*  
  
  
  
-+- Chapter One -+-  
  
-= Antebellum =-  
  
_______________________  
  
  
  
Dreams are easily forgotten...  
  
...but nightmares  
  
they seem to last forever...  
  
* * *  
  
Nothing could have kept the townspeople inside on a day like this, the sun so vibrant and alive in the sky, untouched by a single wandering cloud that would hope to cover it up. The birds praised the heavens as their melodies rang out from the trees, a perfect sound that rained soft like a sweet showered mist from the sky. It was an immaculate portrait painted to reflect everything beautiful in nature; to put it simply would be impossible. Days like these didn't come often, but when they did it was a most joyous occasion for the small town of Aldera. This small farming community was used to their fair share of rain as it served fitting for their profits, and profit they did as they were a very well known village to most of the world. Travellers from all around would come to Aldera just to marvel at the never ending fields, the boundless oceans of only the biggest and best crops on the Ursana continent, the largest of three. The village more than made enough to live and yet they refused to stray from a humble lifestyle as their houses, though beautifully crafted making them a sight on their own to see, rarely were larger than a few rooms given the size of the family.   
  
On the edge of the fields, away from the houses, lay the Aldera Market, an open air bazaar that attracted tourists, travellers, and traders alike. One could never get bored in a place like this, where there was always something going on, always something to do or find. People loved to see and buy the crafts made there, eat the fresh foods, and anything else that happened to tickle their fancy. Farmers from so many different places would come in hopes to find some secret to how Aldera was such a successful crop community, often buying the tools they made as if it would help them with their own fields.   
  
But the secret was something no one even expected, something they couldn't see, or smell, or taste. This secret was something the village had sworn under for so many years it had almost became natural for them, the threat of being exposed never even crossing their minds anymore. And yet this very secret was also just another attraction to the Aldera Market, slipped into their minds through happiness and pleasure. Kids loved to come just to see the men and women perform all sorts of tricks, so easily amused by the littlest things, and even the adults found themselves watching with wonder at the things they would see. The secret stared everyone in the face so hard it was impossible to even comprehend, yet it was so simple...it was magic.  
  
"Edison Makaals ladies and gentleman!" the announcer bellowed from off the small wooden stage at the south end of the market. A small crowd of children and adults rested their tired feet as they watched the tall, strong man walk out to center stage wearing his black cape and top hat which awkwardly contrasted with the farmers clothing he had on. But his smile never failed as he took a moment to bathe his face in the warm sun before extending a hand to the people.  
  
"Welcome to the show, the magic attraction, a display of magic manifestation, the magic razzle-dazzle," the man drew his hand towards his face as his cape crawled off his arm, his thumb pointed confidently at the tip of his nose, "of Magic Mak!"  
  
The children clapped and cheered as Mak waved his hands in the air for a moment before a pair of doves appeared and lifted off from his palms into the infinite blue sky. Everyone watched with anticipation as he caught a single pure white feather that was lazily making its way to the ground. He held the feather before them as if to assure them it was real before he performed his next trick. Their eyes went wide as Mak, with a quick flick of his wrist, turned the feather into a beautiful flower, unlike any ever seen, with every color in the rainbow trapped within its elegant petals. More applause came as he showed it to them before changing it back into the very feather it had been the minute before. He closed his hand around it for a second as he chanted something shortly into his curled fingers, and as he opened them another dove flew away over the crowd. As they cheered him on, Mak walked back to a table set up with all of his magic "toys" as he called them. A young boy was standing behind the small tattered curtain offstage next to it, and Mak's smile seemed to widen even more.   
  
"Hey dad," the boy quietly called, "You're doin' an awesome job out there."  
  
"It's just getting started," he said with a wink, "Just wait and see what else I've got for 'em."  
  
Mak picked up a cheap magicians wand which only served to make it look more like a cheesy act, as if the cape and the hat weren't enough. He made his way back to the front of the stage where he removed his top hat and held it before the crowd, showing them that it was completely empty. He then put his hand underneath, holding the top so that the opening was facing up, gaping wide under his wavering wand.   
  
"And now, everyone's favorite magic trick," he announced to the crowd, their bodies leaning forward as they watched his wand swoop and tap the edge of the hat, "A rabbit out of a hat."  
  
Mak swiftly reached in and pulled the furry little creature from the black pit of his hat, its nose twitching furiously as it was displayed to the swarm of people. He set the bunny down and it scampered off into a nearby bush, chased by a few of the younger kids who just couldn't pass up the opportunity to run after the cute ball of fur. Mak continued to circle his wand around the brim of the hat as the audience cheered, his smile never fading as it only made him feel better inside to know that he was bringing joy into these young lives. As the noise died down he began.  
  
"Hey kids, I'm sure you've all heard your parents tell you to eat what's good for you, right?" Mak called out to the younger section of the crowd sitting up front. They all replied enthusiastically in agreement, "Like eating plenty of fruit, right?"  
  
A large wicker basket was slid up to the front of the stage beside Mak as he twirled his wand before tapping it on his hat. He then turned it upside down over the basket and the jaws fell to the ground as apples, oranges, grapes and small melons cascaded like a waterfall from the overflowing orifice he was holding. As the last apple fell into the basket Mak awaited once more for the cheering to cease before he finished the trick.  
  
"And don't forget your vegetables!" he continued as he waved his wand and flicked it again, never missing a beat as he chanted softly under his breath. Just as before he turned the hat upside down as to allow everything to spill from it into the basket at his side, but this time nothing came out. Not a single vegetable was seen peeking out of his hat, and the crowd went silent, some of the adults in the back chuckling and heckling to each other. Mak shook the hat a few times as if trying to dislodge a traffic jam clogged up inside of it. After he had given up on that, he tried hitting the top of it as to maybe force something down through it, but that, too, was of no use. He finally grabbed the hat on both sides and held it out in front of him as to look inside and see what was in there. To the people's surprise, a tomato flew out of his hat and hit Mak square in the face. Luckily it was soft enough that it simply exploded, covering his face in tomato juice. The children erupted in laughter and he stood there for a moment, face dripping red as he lowered his hat. He immediately broke into a wide smile and took a bow, the crowd clapping loudly and acclaiming his wonderful talent. He quickly conjured a handkerchief from his hat as he walked back to the table, his son still there watching from behind the scenes.   
  
"Alright son," Mak beckoned the boy as he wiped the last of the tomato from his chin, "I'm gonna need you on this one. Remember that spell I taught you just the other day?"  
  
The boy perked up and nodded excitedly, hopping up to the upper stage next to his father. They both walked up to the front, the basket filled with fruit still sitting there.   
  
"Help me with this real quick." Mak gestured to the basket of fruit that lay at their feet. They reached down and lifted the now extremely heavy basket and lowered it down to the ground where the crowd was sitting, "Free fruit for all the kids, I'm sure your parents won't mind. Just watch out for those flying tomatoes."  
  
The kids all lit up and shouted with glee as they ran up and grabbed their favorite candy of nature. Mak and his son climbed back onto the stage as they prepared for the grand finale of the show. As they stood center stage, Mak glanced at the young man at his side, his pride, his joy, his heart smiling back at him as though happiness were as abundant as the sun. After a moment he turned his attention back to the crowd as the kids all took their seats again after grabbing their treats.  
  
"Now for this final act I have my son here who will be my assistant for today," he raised his hand as he presented the boy who took a quick bow, "Now how would you all like to see him disappear?"  
  
The children instantly ignited with excitement, their eyes wide and sparkling with the thrill of the moment.   
  
"I will ask my assistant to step back so that I may hide him behind my cape while I make him vanish into thin air." Mak announced as he walked his son back a few steps. He quickly glanced over his shoulder with a whisper, "Just tell me when you've finished the spell, okay?"  
  
The boy smiled at his father who exchanged it with a quick wink before he turned to the crowd who waited with anticipation gushing from their faces. This was the part that Mak loved the most, having the crowd at the edge of their seats, waiting for what they weren't even prepared for.   
  
"I'm sure you're all wondering how a person can simply disappear, but I assure you it is quite easy," Mak bantered to the audience as he lifted the wings of his cape to create a curtain, hiding his son behind it who was already chanting his spell, "In a few moments I will simply lower my cape and step aside, and you shall see that my assistant will cease to be. Are you ready Mr. Assistant?!"  
  
"Just a sec," the boy whispered back, the spell beginning to take effect as the surroundings seemed to devour his body, a spreading emptiness on his skin, until the last of his visible self had evaporated, "Alright, good to go."  
  
"Well folks, there's no answer back there," Mak innocently lied to the crowd, "I guess that means he has," quickly bringing down his cape he took a step to the side, "DISAPPEARED!"  
  
The crowd reeled back in shock, a simultaneous breath sucked into every lung, kids and adults alike, speechless. Mak waited a moment for it all to sink in before removing his top hat and taking a bow, setting of the explosion of applause and even a few standing ovations. The smile on Mak's face couldn't have been any bigger at that very moment, his face nearly split in half by his lips.   
  
"I'd like to thank you all for coming to the show," Mak tried to bellow over the crowd as he stood up and placed his hat on his head, "I'd also like to thank my assistant," gesturing with his hand to his invisible son beside him. As he glanced over at him, he tried to act surprised, "Oops! I've almost forgotten that he has vanished. Let's get him back here shall we?"  
  
Mak stepped back in front of his son and lifted his cape once more. In a few seconds, his body had pieced itself together as the puzzle built the picture. Mak lowered his cape and stepped aside to let his son step forward to take a bow, the audience eating it up as if it were the greatest thing in the world. And to them it was, and Mak loved every minute of it. They both came to the front of the stage and took a bow together before exiting out the back of the stage, the roar of the crowd still loud even after they had disappeared behind the curtain. This was the best job Mak could've ever asked for.  
  
Mak and his son waited out back for a few minutes, using the time to soothe their parched throats with a mug of water. He watched his son as he took a huge gulp of the refreshing cold, admiring how much he had grown over the years. Although he was only fifteen he was already almost as tall as his father, and he was strong to boot. Much like his father he was fairly skinny, but it disguised the incredible strength he had acquired by working on the farms with Mak and his friend Danik. His long brown hair swept down the back of his neck, always tied with a very special ribbon given to him by his mother. She had always said it would protect him, and ever since the fateful day she left this world she had kept her word. Mak almost thought he could see her as his son lowered the mug and looked at him with his strangely beautiful green eyes; he had gotten those from her as well. While Mak wasn't much of a looker, especially as of late with his scraggly brown hair all curled up on top of his head and his five o' clock shadow, he figured his son had gotten the best of both him and his wife as he didn't really lean more to either one. He actually turned out to look more like his grandfather, which was fitting as that is who Mak named him after.  
  
"You know what, Will?" Mak said as he took off his cape and hat, laying them on a table sitting beside them, "You were alright up there."  
  
Will let out a laugh as he watched his father smiling wide. He had been on stage with Mak a few times before and he always said that after a show, almost like a ritual.   
  
"Yea, you weren't so bad yourself old man," the boy reached up and ruffled his father's hair, not making it any better or worse than it was already, yet Mak still acted as if he was trying to fix it. He then proceeded to put his son in a headlock and run his knuckles over the top of his head. They both started laughing at each other as they knew they had to be making a spectacle of themselves in front of the passersby.   
  
"Hey, let's go see what Danik's doing," Will suggested as they calmed themselves, trying to straighten up without cracking up.   
  
"Alright, I don't see why not," Mak replied as he wiped a tear of laughter from his eye, "He's probably over on the east side right now telling the kids some of the legends of Aldera. He always gets a good crowd for that."  
  
They began walking towards the east side of the Aldera Market, the people in front of the stage dispersing to different areas, a few walking up to the stage to check for trap doors of some kind. Father and son gladly invited the walk as the sun begged for Mother Earth's union in this gorgeous day.  
  
'I wonder which one he's telling today'  
  
* * *  
  
"Alright everyone, gather 'round." the stern deep voice sank into their ears, and the lively chatter that had filled the small hut faded away as the people quietly sat down before the large dark-skinned man. He was quite an intimidating figure at first glance, a structure built of solid muscle from head to toe accompanied by his heavy tan that gave the impression he worked more than anyone else. And he did, but that wasn't all that was behind his enriched, sun graced features. He loved nature and everything about it, leaving him with the most gentle of souls as he held all things on Earth sacred. Just living in nature gave him more pleasure than anything he could ever imagine, the essence of life that he cherished right outside his front door everyday. To Danik, there was nothing better than being as close to Mother Earth as possible, being out in her loving arms, for it was her surpassing sanctity that bore him and everyone else here.  
  
"Hey, good timing, he's just about to start." Mak whispered to his son creeping up beside him, both of them trying not to be a distraction to Danik's audience as they made their way inside, standing in the back of the crowd. A body of eerie glowing faces reflected a tall fire dancing next to Danik's "throne" as he called it, a small rickety-looking chair made of bamboo. It was a wonder that the thing could hold such a person, or any person for that matter as it seemed as if a mere draft could turn it into a pile of twigs. As Danik finally took to his throne, Mak and Will both stared with raised eyebrows in hopes that maybe the chair would finally give under him as they had always joked with him about. But just as it did every other time, the chair held with a surprising strength, not even a creak escaping its limbs. Danik gave his two friends in the back a smile as he noticed them watching so attentively; he had proven them wrong yet again.  
  
"Are you all ready for a story?" Danik asked the fire-lit faces grinning back at him excitedly, their nodding heads creating a wave pattern against the sway of the flames, "Alright, well this is a very important story here in Aldera. It's one of the many legends we hold sacred and you should feel very special that you're getting to hear it, for not many know The Legend of Axomn, the harbinger of Armageddon. You see, we are not the first to have lived on this planet we call home, and we're probably not even the second. The earth we see today has been regrown for another period of human evolution. We are, in a sense, repeating life over and over again. The reason for this is because we are destined to destroy the very planet we all live on, and it must have time to revive after the thousands of years of torture we submit it to," as he continued the story he took some magic powder from a pouch at his side and threw it into the fire. Eyes went wide as the orange glow slowly changed into blue, and grains of light started to collect before the flames. The light eventually came together to form a picture, a visual of a dying world on the verge of the end of time. Oceans red, lands scorched black, no life in existence for nothing could live in such a world. The crowd watched in awe, some intrigued, others frightened, but all were utterly fascinated.  
  
"This is a world after about 2000 years of human life, on the brink of death. It is the work of none other than Axomn, a being that cannot be described, for it is never seen until the very end, the very last moment the earth has to suffer," as he spoke of the harbinger of Armageddon the picture of the ravaged earth turned completely white, a blank empty hole in the middle of the fire, "Some say that Axomn is an angel, sent from above to fix what has gone wrong, to return Mother Earth to the way she is supposed to be. That is what we believe," the white picture faded into a beautiful scene of lush green and blue; forests growing, rivers forming, mountains climbing so high into the sky, "But Mother Earth is not without her own ways of warning. Some believe that Axomn actually comes from the earth, like a great beast that lives deep within her heart that comes out only in the direst of situations. But she also lets us know how she feels, and if you're willing enough to watch and listen she will tell you exactly what is wrong."  
  
"Like when it rains?" a small boy in the front row stuck his hand up as he blurted out his question, not really taking the time to be called on. Danik just smiled at him, for the child was right in a way.  
  
"That's one way she talks to us, but rain can mean so many different things. If it just rains for a day, that's not saying very much except that it's raining, that she is feeding us and our crops by giving us the water we need. But have any of you ever seen it rain for days or even weeks on end?" Danik asked the crowd, not expecting too many people to raise their hands, but alas there were a few. Danik caught eyes with a particular girl with her hand up, and although the flames distorted the view she looked vaguely familiar. He reached out and pointed her out of the crowd, "You have seen it rain like this?"  
  
"Yes...Yes I have," she said shyly. Although she looked to be a young girl, maybe a few years younger than Will, she seemed to have a strange aura of so many more ages, "It was after my last birthday...it rained for three weeks."  
  
"That is very interesting that Mother Earth would be sad after such a blessed occasion, for that is the sign of a prolonged rainfall: sadness," Danik seemed a bit puzzled at the girl's response as he explained further, "Just as a storm that rages for weeks is a sign of anger."  
  
"What about volcanoes?" another child blurted out.  
  
"That's just Mother Earth sneezing. Even she needs to clean her nostrils every now and then," Danik replied with a grin. The children all giggled and joked with one another, acting as if they were sneezing lava from their noses. Amidst the snot and the ewwww's there was one child who raised his hand in hopes to be seen. Danik just happened to notice the little hand reach up over the crowd, and he gratefully called on him.  
  
"What about earthquakes?"  
  
"Well that's another good question. Have you ever heard your father snore?" Danik had another wide grin on his face as the audience once again erupted in laughter. He waited for the noise to quiet down before he continued, "But earthquakes also are believed to be Mother Earth shifting herself into a more comfortable position. Some say that explains the formation of the Ursana continent which is another legend in itself, but I'm not sure if we have the time to tell that one."  
  
The crowd immediately started giving loud depressed sighs, whining and pleading to hear the great tale. Danik, of course, was expecting this as he always did, and of course he could only give them what they wanted.  
  
"Well I guess I have time for one more," Danik assured the crowd as they all cheered in loving support of his decision to continue storytime, "This is another legend that Aldera happens to believe in and it explains why we have the three continents here today. In the beginning of our time, Mother Earth created Gaia, a single continent that spread further than any of us could imagine."  
  
"Bigger than Ursana?" a child among the crowd asked.  
  
"Yes, much bigger than Ursana, for Gaia was all three of the continents we know today put together. Now it was never intended for Gaia to be broken up, but life seemed to separate itself into four distinct groups around the land. Unfortunately these groups never got along, and wars would break out constantly between them, eventually tearing the land apart. Mother Earth had to divide the lands so that they would not cause anymore harm, for Axomn was threatening to appear before long," the audience gasped for a moment at the mention of the harbinger's name. Danik took another handful of magic power and tossed it into the inferno, this time the flames taking on a green hue. The light was collecting once more and it created an image of a giant continent, undoubtedly Gaia. As he continued to speak, the land began to separate into four parts, "Gaia was divided into four different continents given from the territories these groups had established. There was the eastern part, Uron and the southern area, Esana. The lands you know of were of the north, which is Adala, and of the west, which is Alora."   
  
"But what about Ursana?" a young girl up front frantically begged.  
  
"That's exactly what I'm going to tell you next. Now as time went by, the serenity began to reign freely on Earth and all was peaceful. In fact it was so peaceful that Mother Earth wanted to try putting Gaia back together in hopes that it would stand together in harmony for once. So now she is moving the continents slowly together and the first two to become one were Uron and Esana, crashing together in a fantastic show of splitting rocks and spreading seas. The merger created what we know now as the cliffs of Uron, and the name of this new mass of land changed, taking the two previous names and simply putting them together. Ursana is the first of the recreation of Gaia up to our year, seven hundred and thirty-nine, and it will surely take another hundred years before the next piece is put together. So there you have it, two legends in one day. I thank you all for coming on this beautiful day, and may your lives be filled with as much happiness as there are leaves on the trees."  
  
The audience stood up, giving Danik a quick standing ovation for his wonderful words of wisdom and of the legends of Aldera as the doors opened, the light from outside swooping in to steal the fire's domain. The traffic slowly but surely filed back out into the Market, the sun's rays grabbing violently at their eyes. As the crowd thinned out there was one person who stood firm in the middle of the room, her face hanging still a bit shy as she seemed to be asking for Danik's attention. At first he didn't notice, but a flicker of the flame happened to catch a certain twinkle in her eyes that found him momentarily stunned at the undeniable familiarity she held. To what exactly she was so familiar was just beyond his grasp, but it left him digging in the back of his mind for any possibility. In hopes he could have a word with her, Danik motioned for her to come closer. She seemed to perk up a bit at the sight, her bashful lips making somewhat of a smile as she stepped closer into the firelight.  
  
"Is there something I can do for you, young lady?" Danik asked gently, his voice trying not to make her any more ill at ease than she already was.  
  
"Yes, well...um..."  
  
"It's okay, you can ask me anything."  
  
"Well, it's about what you said earlier," she answered with nervous eyes, unable to keep them on Danik, "About what you said when it rained, and you wondered why it was so strange for Mother Earth to be sad on my birthday."  
  
"Ah yes, I did find that a bit puzzling, but perhaps the sign was not for you," Danik assured her, "It was probably something else that had happened around you that you were unaware of."  
  
"No..." her voice dropped off a steep cliff as her eyes began to look more woeful towards the dirt floor, "It was for me."  
  
"What do you mean?" Danik was very curious with the girl's story at this point.  
  
"My mother," her eyes started to glisten a bit against the warm orange glimmer, "She left us a few days after my birthday."  
  
"I'm so very sorry," Danik almost wished she hadn't told him that for it surely was hard for her to bring something like that up. In a way he felt guilty for pointing it out to her earlier, "Your mother must have been a very special person for the earth to mourn for her for so long."  
  
They both took a few moments of silence, Danik trying his best to give some kind of comfort to the child who looked to almost break down at any second. She brushed a few small tears into the flames, doing away with them as if to relieve some degree of sorrow. Danik admired her bravery in coming forward with something like this and it only made him more curious as to who she was.  
  
"May I ask your name, young lady?"  
  
"My name?" the girl seemed a bit surprised at first but she felt herself warming up to the gentle giant, almost as though she knew him as well, "My name is Gale. My mother loved nature and she always told me that I was strong like the wind so that's how I got my name," she was slowly opening up to him, though he wasn't sure if she knew it, "I guess that's why I come to Aldera to listen to your stories. Ever since she left I've been coming as often as I can to hear all about nature and Mother Earth. It makes me feel a little closer to her, like she's still around, I guess."  
  
Danik was positively astounded by what he was hearing. He knew now why she seemed so familiar. She had been here before, and on many occasions it turns out. He had probably looked her in the face a million times before today so it would be only natural that she would stand out more in his mind. And yet that didn't seem to satisfy his curiosity, something else was tugging on him but it was too insignificant to notice.  
  
"You say you come here to listen to the stories, so then where are you from?"  
  
"I'm from Kuuran."  
  
"You come all the way from Kuuran?" Danik once again found himself dumbfounded by the girl's words. Kuuran was a city all the way on the other side of the Cliffs of Uron, practically on the other side of the continent. It was at least a weeks travelling time by even the fastest animal, "How do you make that journey so often?"  
  
"My mother married a very rich man in Kuuran, so he lets me come here whenever I want."  
  
"Well that's very nice of your father to let you do that."  
  
"Oh, he's not my father," she replied rather quickly as if to dispel any possible trace of the statement, "He is just the man my mother married. I've never met my real father and I can't say I ever will. Mom told me he left before I was born."  
  
"Again, I am very sorry," Danik almost wanted to sock himself in the face for bringing up such terrible memories for her. First her mother and now her father. He could tell she was becoming more and more woebegone, the heat bouncing off her face pulling the sadness from the inside out. But then she quickly looked at him with a face of happiness, something startling after seeing her so sad.  
  
"Well thank you for the story today, it was wonderful as always," she said as she gave a short curtsey, "I really must be going, I have to be home in time for dinner."  
  
The girl briskly turned without another word and made her way out of the hut, passing the two men standing by door who had been watching the whole time. Danik rose to meet them as they came forward to the middle of the room, curious grins on their faces.  
  
"One of your fans, Danik?" Mak asked as he extended a hand to shake.  
  
"My biggest fan it would seem," Danik replied as he watched the girl through the door until she disappeared into the crowd, "She has come here to listen to the legends many times since her last birthday. Her mother and father are both gone and so her step-father lets her come here from Kuuran."  
  
"Wow, that's quite a trip. She must take one of those sky cars that they have over there," Mak offered a solution to the riddle. Kuuran was known for their technology and, over time, had created new ways of travel that made it possible for man to fly great distances quickly, "I actually saw a few of them outside the Market today so we've had quite a few visitors from the other side."  
  
"You know I hate it when you say that," Danik gave Mak a sore look, which Mak could only grin back at with a shrug.  
  
"What?"  
  
"When you call them 'from the other side', as if they were not Mother Earth's children as well."  
  
"Ah c'mon Danik," Mak elbowed softly at his friend with a smile, "You know I only do that to have a little fun with you. I know we're all here under her will. I'm just as much a believer as you are."  
  
Danik gave him a questioning look as he could tell Mak was just waiting to explode with some other humorous remarks.   
  
"I'm just not as stiff as some of the guys I know around here, that's all."  
  
Danik couldn't help but laugh at that, as did Mak and Will who were nearly wetting themselves out of laughter. The hut was lively again, even more so than with the children that were sitting there just minutes before. The firelight displayed their chuckling shadows swaying on the ceiling as they had to hold each other up to keep from falling over. As they calmed themselves down, the energy slowly seeping out of their bodies, Danik rested his eyes and a kind smile on Will.  
  
"So, young William, I heard you put on quite a show today."   
  
"Now how'd you hear about that?" Mak blurted out before another word could be exchanged.  
  
"I overheard some travellers passing through just before I started," Danik explained, "They spoke of a young man who disappeared into thin air. I'm impressed."  
  
"Thanks, Danik," Will said with a proud grin. He had worked hard to learn that spell and it felt good to finally get something out of it, "Dad sorta surprised me with it, but I was hanging around the stage on purpose just in case he did decide to use me for a trick."  
  
"Oh so you wouldn't just come see your ol' dad on any day to see his show, huh?" Mak bluffed an aggravated tone with a simper. Will just smiled wide back at him.  
  
"Well you know I would come if I didn't have all these...uh...other things to do," Will lied through the huge grin of his teeth as he tried to think of a smart retort, "Like cooking, you know? If you'd just learn to cook then I wouldn't have to do it all the time and I'd be able to see your show."  
  
"He does have a point, Mak," Danik followed up with the rag on Mak's cooking skills...which were not the best to put it lightly.  
  
"Shut up," Mak mumbled at the two jokesters as they shared a laugh. He let them have their moment before quickly changing the subject, "Anyways, speaking of food I'm starving, how about you guys?"  
  
"Yea, it's about that time of day, you want me to make something?" Will offered, "We ate all the leftovers this morning."  
  
"Then I guess the chef will be in tonight." Mak replied to his son's generous offer with a grateful smile.  
  
"You should come too, Danik." Will was almost pleading for him to come to dinner. Danik had always been a great friend to him through the times in his life. Aldera wasn't the biggest place in the world and kids his age ran few in the village. It didn't help that the people he met at the Market he would most likely never see again. That left Will with his father and the people he worked with out in the fields, which of course was Danik, "I'll make plenty for all of us."  
  
"I'm afraid I can't, William." Danik responded despairingly, knowing that Will would want more than anything in the world to have company, just someone other than his father to talk to, "I have some things I must attend to, but perhaps tomorrow?"  
  
"Deal!" Will enthusiastically stuck his hand out as if to shake on a bet they had just made. Danik took his hand and shook it firmly, the deal now official between the two.  
  
"Now that that's settled, why don't you go back to the house and start on dinner while I help Danik close up here." Mak instructed his son.  
  
"Sure, it'll be ready when you get there, I promise," Will gave a quick thumbs up to insure his vow before turning back to Danik as he started walking backwards towards the door, "I'll see you later, Danik. Don't forget about tomorrow."  
  
"I wouldn't miss it for anything." Danik called after the boy who proceeded out the door into the busy Market streets. Danik turned his admiring smile back to Mak, who was looking a little more serious than before.  
  
"You have a very special young man in your hands, Mak," Danik washed praise all over, "Not only does he grow stronger every day, but he is more intelligent than most his age."  
  
"Yea, I know," he said with an affectionate face as he looked out and watched his son through the crowd outside, "He gets it all from his mother. I wish I was half as strong as he is."  
  
"But you are, Mak," Danik tried to prove to his forlorn friend, "If it weren't for you this village would never have known about this underground war or even made an effort to fight."  
  
"Thank you, Danik. If it weren't for you I would never have been as strong as you say I am," Mak professed. His life had run down nearly the same path as Danik's since they were young men around Will's age. When Mak learned of a war that had been waged involving several cities and villages such as Aldera, he wanted to get the people to rise up and fight. But when his wife died, things got too complicated and he nearly gave up on it. Luckily Danik was behind him, and helped him the whole way through, looking out for Will when needed, getting people who weren't in agreement with him to see just what was happening, and most importantly being a friend. At first they could only gather a handful of people, but over the years the village started to come around, and realize what was happening around them. Now they had a strong number of people behind them, and the day of reckoning was close at hand.  
  
"Are we meeting tonight as planned?" Danik inquired.  
  
"Yes, the usual time, the usual place. The time is growing near, Danik," Mak responded, a seriousness that he rarely exposed stretched across his face, "We won't be sitting around here much longer I can guarantee you that."  
  
"I understand. The tides are changing and we must make our move before we lose the advantage."  
  
"Hopefully that advantage is not already lost," Mak gave a somewhat optimistic look to his friend, "I have to tell the rest of the village about the meeting. I'll see you tonight."  
  
"One Earth."  
  
"One Mother."  
  
With a quick handshake they both made their way for the door, the dimming fire behind them creating an intimidating visage as they strutted through the darkening den. The now setting sun creeping in blended well with their features, a pair of golden graced warriors prepared for what could be the greatest stand for Mother Earth, or the worst thing to happen since the last Armageddon. Mak gave Danik a last wave as he passed through the doors into the world they would hopefully be saving, making his way to the other shops and stands to explain the details of the meeting to the others. Danik watched with utmost confidence in his life-long friend, his trust in him as strong as his faith in the Alderan legends. The time was nigh and the moon was nearly full these past nights, something of a sign that they would not ignore. Things were going to change, be they for the best or for the worst, they were going to change. This was the war for Mother Earth. 


End file.
